Birth As We Know It: Circumcision

10 comments:

I just wonder...is that the mother strapping the baby down? The woman is wearing a hospital gown, which makes me think that it is.

You can clearly see that the baby is already crying in protest...I just don't understand how a new mom could do that so methodically, without even stroking his cheek and comforting him in some way. :-(

I don't know if the narrator knows or not, but Biblical circumcision (practiced until after the time of Christ) was nothing like circumcision today. When I learned that, I was even more determined not to let my son be circumcised. It's not necessary at all!

It's *awesome* (sarcasm) how he takes extra long doing the procedure so as to be sure to teach the other practitioners this *important* skill. Horrible. How can they listen to that scream and continue????

Well, that was my first witnessing of an actual circumcision. I have never wanted to see one, knowing how horrific they must be for the baby, but today I felt I needed to truly understand the process. Thank GOD I decided to leave my sons intact...thank God thank God thank God...

My first son was going to be circumcised. He was to look like his Daddy, and my mom always told me how ugly uncircumcised baby penises looked. "like a little string bean," she said. I believed the myths about infection, STD's, etc, and didn't care to do much of my own research.

Finally, he was born. I had an emergency c-section -- he had no amniotic fluid, a dropping heart rate, and an Apgar of 1. The neonatologist told me in one breath that he had Down syndrome and that he may not survive. After all the tears, terror and confusion, he finally stabilized and was in the NICU for 3 weeks. During that time, he had many procedures: ventilator, feeding tube, bloodwork, heel pricks every day, oxygen cannula in his nose, wires and tubes coming from everywhere...How could we think to cause him another moment of pain?

When circumcision was brought up, our eyes had been opened through research and we declined. He is PERFECT just the way he is.

I have seen two circumcisions now :( I hate the way they get strapped down like that. Cannot move away from the pain. The babies I saw did not cry as much as this one, and settled rather quickly afterwards, but I do not agree with it at all. How barbaric.

Watching this brought tears to my eyes and a heavy heart. How can this still be allowed?! Why would someone refuse to explore the information presented to them and do this to their poor, helpless and un-consenting child?

I have to present a point of view that is much different from all here. We did not choose to circumcise our son it was done because he had a condition that needed to be fixed. The Dr used his foreskin to repair his urinary tract which was not fully functional at birth. So yes my son is circumcised and no I would not of made in our situation anouther decision because doing it ment saving my little one from extreme pain for the rest of his life. Would I do it again if the same issue came up in another one of my babies yes. Would I do just because probably not because not doing it to begin with saved my little boy.

Anon - hypospadias can be 'corrected' without removing the foreskin. It necessitates a urologist or surgeon who is conscious of the benefits in keeping this organ. Different tissues can be used if surgery is opted for in infancy/childhood (or adulthood). See: http://www.drmomma.org/2010/04/hypospadias-surgery-and-circumcision.html